'Tis
the season of dryness. Handmade guitars are more delicate and responsive than
factory guitars. This is why they sound and play so great; and why we love them.
They have personality.

Even though it is delicate, a well handmade guitar, with proper care, is built
to last 100 years - without problems. Keep in mind that your expensive handmade
guitar is like 'fine china'. Other guitars are built to take to the beach. A handmade
guitar is something to enjoy for its refinement.

Yours
is a fine responsive musical instrument. It is built for feel, tone, and beauty.
You have to be careful of the temperature and humidity ranges.

This is reasonable and easy to maintain. With my guitars (Everett Guitars), I
mention these temperature and humidity parameters 3 times in the literature that
each customer gets with his new guitar. I even highlight it.

Why?

Because
you cannot simply ignore the guitar's environment and expect it to 'look like
new' for very long.

Here
is a good idea:

Visit
the Internet and type 'acoustic guitar humidity' in your search engine. You will
see a lot of information written specifically about the humidity problem.

Get
a hygrometer to measure moisture (Radio Shack, Target, …), keep the hygrometer
where ever you keep your guitar, and gently add a little moisture to your guitar
when the humidity drops below 40%. There are lots of simple products for adding
moisture to your guitar in its case. I like to use a 'Dampit'. A 'Dampit' (or
it's clone) is available from most music stores or over the internet. Keep it
and the guitar in it's case during the dry months. (Any number of these hydrating
products will do the same job.)

The
important thing is to remember to add a little moisture to your guitar when it
gets dry. You might not be able to keep the humidify of the whole house at 45%,
but you can keep the inside of the case comfortable for your guitar.

Or

Buy
a humidifier and keep your music room humidity up to 45- 55%. Remember inexpensive
dial hygrometers are not very accurate (You certainly can not trust the strip
of paper version.). But they will give you a good idea of the changes in humidity.
(Be sure to read the literature on how to keep your hygrometer in good working
condition.) I replace all the hygrometers in my shop every two years because the
elements get dusty and become more and more inaccurate. The guitars cost a lot;
the hygrometers don't.

Unfortunately,
even the most expensive, hermetically sealed, guitar case will loose humidity.
It will loose moisture more slowly than a standard case, but just spending $700
on a case is not the answer. You still have to pay attention to your guitar. Period.

The
usual scenarios:

a)
The guitar is left in case unattended for a year or two. When finally it is opened,
it has: a center seam crack in top, loose bridge, sunken finish, sharp fret ends,
loose neck bolts, loose tuners, loose endpin, even the label can be loose.

Sitting
in the case unattended, the guitar has gotten very, very, very dry! Ouch! Keeping
your guitar in its case is excellent. It protects the guitar from physical damage
and slows the changes in humidity and temperature that the guitar is exposed to.

NO
CASE alone can protect the guitar from getting too dry!

Every
year during the winter all my personal instruments go in their cases, and every
two weeks I check their 'Dampits'. The small sponges in the Dampits are as dry
as a rock. The guitars just soak up the moisture in the dry environment. (To
keep the humidity up in my shop, I keep two humidifiers going in my 800 square
foot shop. It gets dry in the winter!)

b)
The guitar is left out on it's stand or left hanging on the wall throughout the
year.

Not
a good idea. If you want to display your guitars, at least get a hygrometer so
that you can get an idea of your rooms humidity. Adding moisture to your furnace
system is not enough. You will probably have to get a humidifier for your music
room and monitor it. (Too wet is bad too!) When it gets too dry (below 40%) the
guitars should go back in their cases with a 'Dampit' in order to keep them hydrated.
Some cases even have a little hygrometer built in. But having them hang on the
wall also puts the guitars through serious humidity and temperature changes almost
daily. Keeping the guitar in its case helps slow these changes down, and your
guitar will be happier.

Why
do music stores keep their guitars on the walls?

To
sell them. Most of their guitars are plywood with polyester finishes. After a
store has been in business for more than one year selling highend guitars, I guarantee
you they have worked out their climate control system. Ask them.

Please
keep in mind these kind of repairs are not warranted by any manufacturer or individual
builder.

THIS
MIGHT AT FIRST SEEM LIKE A HUGE HASSLE, BUT IT'S NOT !

Dampit = $18.

Hygrometer
= $30.

Time
during cold months (usually 3-5 months each year) = 5 seconds every day (or two)
to look at the hygrometer. 30 seconds every week or two to add a little water.

Guitar
Value = $Bookoos.

~Heat~

c)
The guitar is stored in it's case next to a heating vent, in the attic, by a window
with the afternoon sun shinning on it, …

How
to bake a guitar in one easy afternoon: 20 minutes + 110 degrees = soft glue.
160 lbs of tension from the strings will pull off the bridge, loosen the neck
joint, … It happens quicker than you might imagine.

Don't
let your guitar get too hot. Not too complicated.

No
car trunks in the summer, no road trips with the guitar baking in the back window,
no guitar case parked by the heater vent in the winter, no attics, etc.

Excessive
humidity can cause the guitar to puff up like a 'jiffy popper'. Your neck can
back bow, causing it to buzz in the first position, your action can rise up, binding
seams can break free, etc.

Simply
keep your guitar below 60% -65% and your guitar will play great all year.

Your
home air conditioning does a great job of keeping the humidity down. If your music
room is getting too humid, either put your guitars in their cases with some desiccants
or get a dehumidifier. (I keep 2 dehumidifiers running in my shop during the
spring time to keep the moisture down below 55%.)

The
Last Word

Once
I had a customer pick up his custom order guitar from my shop.

After
all the ooos and ahhhs, I started explaining how to take care of the guitar. He
interrupted me and said, "I'll tell you one thing, I'm going to enjoy it."

Well,
he told me. And sure enough, I see that guitar every three or four years, and
it looks like it went through a war. But he sure is enjoying it. And he is right.
The most important thing is to enjoy your new guitar.

If
you want to enjoy your guitar, AND keep it in good condition, it is just not that
difficult. It's up to you.